


Finite Incantatem

by Platypodes



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Dystopia, Next-Gen, Order of the Phoenix (Harry Potter), Resistance, Witch Hunters
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-09-04
Updated: 2018-07-23
Packaged: 2018-08-12 21:33:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 4
Words: 6,382
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7949926
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Platypodes/pseuds/Platypodes
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"What about Hogwarts?" she asked, with her heart in her throat. <i>What about James?</i><br/>"It's gone, Ginny. I'm so sorry. It's all gone. There's nothing there but rubble."</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hey everyone, just some quick notes:
> 
> First of all, I haven't read Harry Potter and the Cursed Child yet, so any next gen characters used here will not be based on how they're shown in the book. 
> 
> Also, for the purposes of this story, I am going off of Rowling's original figure of 3000 wizards in the UK, rather than the 10% of the population stated elsewhere. 
> 
> This was supposed to be a tongue-in-cheek look at how current politics might affect the wizarding world... Then it got dark. 
> 
> Anyway, I hope you enjoy.. xP

The Prime Minister of England strolled down the corridor of a nondescript London office building, reveling in his new-found importance. People here didn't give him the time of day, now they were stepping out aside to let him get past. They used to poke fun at him too; his looks, his weight, but not anymore. He was this era's Napoleon Bonaparte, Julius Caesar, Winston Churchill...

 _A modern Churchill._ He liked that. He tried to convey that image as he strode into the packed war room.

"Well?" He rumbled.

A young man was standing by the telephone. "That was Japan." he said. "They've confirmed they're ready and waiting for our signal."

"Good."

"Are you sure everyone will follow through?" one man asked.

"They'll have to. There's no going back after what we're about to do." The prime minister laughed as the other two shared nervous glances. He was right, of course. Everyone had agreed he was right. Their attack would be merciless and absolute, but it was the only way to ensure the security of the nation. They all agreed this was a necessary evil.

But the glee he took in it was disturbing.

 

"Are the Apaches ready to go?"

"Yes. We're just waiting for the satellites to give us a visual."

"Good..."

He sank into a chair as they waited, thinking how there should almost be a button laid out before him: 'press to start the end of the world'. It would have been symbolic. So many lives under his fingertips.. He would have liked to feel the weight of that.

He was about to shake the very foundations of the world, attack what people thought was real, and literally rewrite history before their very eyes. He was going to achieve what others thought impossible. And all it took was a pair of Apache helicopters, some air-to-surface Hellfire missiles, and a boatload of C4.

"Satellites are in position, sir."

Leaning back in his chair, the Prime Minister smiled slowly, like a Cheshire cat. "Do it." he said.

Folding his hand over his large stomach, he admired his face in the black table's reflective surface.

 _Fat, but imposing._ he thought. _Fearsome. Yes.. Like Churchill._

 

_~~~_

 

"Like a fat, stupid baby." Hermione raged. "That's what he looks like, that's what he _acts_ like. I can't believe he's doing this to our country. Twelve thousand people forced out their homes, and now he wants to suspend all international trade? How is that going help the economy?"

"We're wizards, Hermione. What does it matter?"

"It matters." she hissed at him across the table as she buttered one of their children's pieces of toast. Even now that glare of hers made him cringe and he quickly went to work finishing their packed lunches.

 

The kids were going to a muggle school. Primrose Fields Primary. He still remembered the first conversation they had about it. Hermione said she wanted to tour the wizard primary schools before making her decision about where they would go. Ron just blinked at her. "Wizard primary school?"

"Yes."

"They don't have them."

She blinked right back. "Well, what are we supposed to _do_ then?"

"You could stay home and..." he'd started to say, but she'd whipped out another one of her special glares and he just swallowed hard and fell silent.

 

So the kids went to muggle school. No protest from him. And when his mother suggested that she could come and teach the children from home, he was forced -under the weight of that glare- to point out that there was nothing wrong with going to a muggle school for a few years and, in fact, some of the best and brightest witches in the world had done so. That softened her look a little. And, honestly, Ron had come around.

Besides the occasional mishap regarding unconscious magic, everything had gone smoothly. Rose was fantastically clever and quite popular at school, and Hugo was a better keeper than his father would ever be, albeit in this strange muggle sport called 'football'.

They both loved it there, to the point where he once overheard their youngest whispering to his sister, 'you know, I think I wouldn't mind it if I was a squib'. Which made Ron exceptionally nervous, but brought a tender smile to Hermione's face. And he had to admit, it was better than staying at home with your siblings all day.

 

They took the tube into work after dropping Hugo and Rose off at school, meeting Harry on their way to the elevators. He and Ron were stuck in the office today. Even the exhilarating life of an auror was occasionally bogged down by paperwork.

"Gosh it's loud in here." Ron complained as another roaring vibration rang through the main lobby of the Ministry Headquarters.

"They're building some kind of underground railroad nearby, apparently." Harry explained.

"Couldn't that be dangerous?"

Hermione shrugged her shoulders casually. "Kingsley already spoke to the Prime Minister about it and he assured him it wouldn't get to close."

"Oh~ first name basis, huh? Just how high up are you in the DMLE?" he teased.

She just smiled at him mysteriously and winked. "Never you mind. Now go on. You two are going to be late."

 

She pecked Ron on the cheek before he boarded the elevator. She was taking a different one down to the ninth Level, she said. The caged metal doors of the elevator had just started to creak shut when, unbeknownst to the people on-board, a man in a dark room said 'do it'.

 

The ground was gone. It was there and then it was gone. But the feeling of falling only lasted a few seconds.

 

Blackness enveloped him as gravity came back with a vengeance. And the last thing he heard, before everything went dark, was Hermione screaming his name. 

 


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry, I originally posted this missing the first section. It has now been fixed.

The ground was gone. It was there and then it was gone. And she still felt like she was falling.

 

Rose had gone into the teacher's lounge to copy a homework handout for Mrs. Patterson. She always sent Rose to make copies after second period math because she always sent whoever finished first, and Rose _always_ finished first. By now, she had gotten to know most of the teachers that frequented the lounge at the end of second period and she was following in her mother's footsteps in becoming something of a teacher's pet.

The little television was on in the corner, playing the news like it always did.

"Hello Rose." Mrs. Blake would usually say, without even looking away from the screen. Rose was the only person who would come to the teacher's lounge on a Tuesday morning, ten minutes before the end of second lesson. "Finish first again?" Mr. Thomas might ask. Then someone would usually offer her a biscuit, one of those chocolate cream-filled ones from a tray that she didn't really like, but would eat anyway because it _was_ a biscuit after all.

 

Today, however, no one said anything. They were all staring at the television in silence. Rose shrugged and made her way to the photocopier. She liked that the teachers liked her, but she wasn't driven by a desire for their attention. She'd just as soon finish the copies quickly and get back to chat with Susan and Isabel before the end of the lesson.

A reporter's clipped accent washed through the room, though she couldn't pick out the words. After starting the machine, curiosity got the better of her and she walked over to where she was close enough to hear the television. A female reporter with a serious expression was standing in front of a crowd of ambulances and police cars while something smoked in the background.

Mr. Thomas jumped when he saw her, putting a hand over his heart dramatically. "Oh, Rose! I didn't see you there. Terrible thing to have happened..." he said, almost obligatorily. "You really shouldn't be watching." he added, timidly.

But Rose wasn't listening. Her eyes were glued to the television screen.

There was a sound like wind rushing past her ears. She only caught words of what they were saying. _East London. Construction accident. Officials investigating. Coordinated explosions. Possible terrorist attack._

She heard her heartbeat speeding up in her ears like a drumbeat. When the roaring finally stopped, she turned and ran out of the teacher's lounge.

 

She didn't stop running until she got to the Form 3 classroom on the other side of the school.

"I'm sorry Mrs. Wick, but me and Hugo have to go home now!" she gasped as she burst through the door. Not waiting for the teacher to argue, as she almost certainly would, Rose marched right into the classroom, grabbed Hugo's bag and his hand and pulled him from his seat. "Goodbye." she said over Mrs Wick's protests, as she continued to pull Hugo down the hall and out of the school.

"Rose, have you gone mental?" Hugo asked, wrestling his arm out of Rose's iron grip after they'd left the school's front gates.

"We have to go, Hugo!" she insisted, losing patience.

"Why? What's going on?"

"Something's happened. I'll tell you on the way." She grabbed his wrist again and started walking.

"How are we supposed to get home from here?"

"We're not going home. We're going to Kings Cross." Her eyes darted in both directions before she set off quickly across the road, pulling her brother along behind her. "London's not safe, Hugo. We have to get to Hogwarts. There'll be adults there. They'll know what to do."

Hugo's lips pursed as tears welled up in his eyes. He'd begun to suspect what was going on. He planted his feet. "What's happened? Where are mum and dad? We need to wait for them. What if they come to get us and we're not here?"

Rose sighed, her hand slipping from his wrist. 

"Mum and dad aren't coming." 

 

~~~

 

Rose begged Hugo not to cry. She threatened, bribed, cajoled… and when none of that worked, she put his hoody on him and pulled the drawstrings and just hoped that it wouldn’t draw too much attention. So far it was working. The people at the bus stop stared at their phones, not at the two children in school uniforms sitting on the bench alone. Everyone assumed they were someone else's.

 

The two seemingly innocuous attacks, in fact, happened to be the locations of both the Ministry of Magic and Diagon Alley. This was no construction accident, and she doubted it was an ordinary terrorist attack either.

Her parents had told her once that if something should happen to the Ministry, one of them would apparate to their school immediately and pick them up ("regulations be damned", they'd said) and if they didn’t, they should go straight to Diagon Alley and take the floo to Hogsmead.

But what could they do now? No one had come to their school. And Diagon alley was gone as well. Her instincts were telling her not to go home right now, and there was only one other place she knew of where other wizards might be. It was the first day back to Hogwarts after the Christmas holidays. She knew because they'd begged their parents to let them skip school (which started a week earlier) so they could see off James and the rest of their cousins. By the time they got there, the train would most likely be gone, but though she didn't totally understand every aspect of the magical rail system, she still couldn't help but feel like the station would somehow protect them. And if they could just make it onto the hidden platform, they would be alright.

 

Fortunately, lots of buses went to the King's Cross train station. And Rose strode on board confidently enough that no one questioned why a ten year old girl and her younger, crying brother would be riding a bus to the train station in the middle of the school day. If anyone asked, she'd say they were going to see their mum in hospital. That should shut everyone up.

A third bomb went off on their way to the station, this one hitting a small hospital that no one had noticed was there before. Whatever was happening, it was more than a few isolated attacks. This was all out war.

 

By the time they arrived, Hugo had stopped crying. There was a tear-stained determination in his eyes that made her smile fondly at him, even if he was an annoying brat for 90% of the time. They walked under the double archway together, heading straight for Platforms 9 and 10. But just as they rounded the corner, some men in suits went through the barrier that didn't look like wizards. _Where was the guard?_ Rose frowned, alarm bells going off in her mind, though she couldn't have guessed what was about to happen. If she could, maybe she would have tried to give some kind of warning.

Hugo started moving toward the ticket box. She put a hand on a shoulder to stop him.

Suddenly, the building shook. Like an earthquake tearing the room in two, Rose was thrown one way and Hugo the other, as the floor seemed to jump to the side. In the space between them, a platform appeared that hadn't been there before. The train had long since left the station, but a small number of parents still stood chatting beside the tracks.

 _No way…_ Rose thought, as she lifted her head from the ground. _No way…_

There was a shocked silence while the wizards looked at the muggles and the muggles looked at the wizards, both equally confused about what was going on here. Then the men in black suits opened fire, and everything erupted into chaos.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everyone. Thanks for reading. If you have any feedback (positive or negative) please let me know, I'm always striving to improve and your comments help me to do that. :]
> 
> Also, in case you're wondering, there will be a time jump in the near future, so the characters will not remain this age forever.


	3. Chapter 3

Ginny tucked her hands under her arms as she stood in the dark forest. A chalky frost still clung to the grass. It was a warm enough winter that it had usually melted by the time she was awake. On a typical morning, she would probably have missed it entirely.

She rubbed her hands across her ribs for warmth as she waited, worrying. After a few more minutes, there was a loud crack that echoed through the small forest, followed by a sharp intake of breath.

 

"Ginny! My god, you're alive."

"Dennis!" Ginny cried, running over to hug the young reporter.

"Albus and Lily, are they..?"

"They're fine. They're with their uncle right now."

"Thank god."

She stepped back, her hands tightening on his arms. "What about Hogwarts?" she asked, with her heart in her throat. _What about James?_

Dennis shook his head. "It's gone, Ginny. I'm so sorry. It's all gone. There's nothing there but rubble."

 

For a moment, Ginny's weight sank into his arms as she lost the strength in her legs. It was like hearing about the Hogwarts Express all over again. The train had been derailed on its way to Scotland, killing everyone on board. Or so they said. But she could still believe... Like every other parent, she could still believe that _her_ son somehow made it out alive. And until she held her child's body in her arms, she would go on believing it. But that didn't make it hurt any less.

 

Before they could say anything else, another loud crack split the silence of the forest. That must be whoever they were here to see. The number of wizards and witches left was hard to guess. They met up mostly by word of mouth, afraid to communicate by owl after it was rumored that the government could track them. They'd been jumping around since the attacks, never staying in one place long. Every center of magical society had been taken out, along with most people's homes. They were staying in campsites, abandoned houses, or just anywhere on the street they could set up enough protection spells to keep themselves out of sight.

The person who appeared next was only a few years older than her. It was someone she recognized from Hogwarts. An old flame in fact, in what seemed like a lifetime ago. Like many ex-Order members, Dean Thomas had continued the fight as an auror, following Ron and Harry into the DMLE. The warm and friendly smile from his Hogwarts days was gone, replaced with a stony expression.

"I'm glad you two could make it." he said, walking over to the pair.

"It wasn't easy. It seems like there's less and less places to apparate every day."

"How do they keep finding us?" Ginny asked, despairingly.

 

"You remember the 'Modernization Initiative'?" Dean said.

Ginny nodded. "Harry mentioned something about it. Everyone got an email address, a computer, cell phones..."

"'Combining the best of muggle and magic technology to pioneer a better future'." Dean quoted, rolling his eyes. "Only what they didn't mention was that it gave the government access to all of our files."

"Surely they wouldn't put anything dangerous on that kind of system!"

"No... They kept the classified stuff locked up, same as always." he agreed. "But you'd be surprised how much information wasn't considered 'important' enough to keep secret."

"Like school records?" Dennis asked, catching on quicker than Ginny had.

Dean nodded. "They know everyone who's ever been to Hogwarts, their names, faces, where they live..."

"That must be how they found the Burrow..." Ginny lamented. 

 

A heavy silence fell over the group. After a moment, Dean continued.

"There's one place people are gathering. The last stronghold, so to speak." He pulled a folded note out of his pocket and handed it to Dennis. His eyebrows shot up as he read it, and he passed the note to Ginny with a bewildered expression. She took one glance at it before shooting Dean an incredulous look.

"You're joking."

"Hey, I don't like it any more than you do, but they say it's the safest place to be right now."

"And the muggles don't know about it?"

"Oh, they know about it. But there's enough witches and wizards there to hold them off for now. We're trying to get as many people there as possible. As far as we know, it's the only place left."

"What about Number 12?" Last she heard it was being used as a temporary headquarters for what was left of the DMLE and the Ministry.

Dean shrugged. "They evacuated the muggles and gassed the whole street. There was nothing we could do."

 

Ginny's frown deepened as she looked back at the note. _If there was one place in the world she never thought she would be going to for help, it was here..._

 

_~~~_

 

As she apparated into the grand entrance hall of Malfoy manor, Ginny wasn't sure what to expect. Would they make fun of her family? Would they taunt her for coming here for help? Would they rub her nose in the fact that they'd been right about muggles all along? Would they turn her away?

 

The only thing she didn't expect was for Malfoy's wife to run down the stairs and throw her arms around her in a hug.

"I'm so sorry for your loss! It's such an awful thing to have happened. Such a tragedy." she commiserated, without a trace of superiority or smugness. Her voice was completely sincere.

Ginny stood frozen in the embrace. Too stunned to react one way or the other. Since the war, Astoria had gained a reputation as being a mouthpiece for muggles and muggleborns among other purebloods. Ginny had known this about her, but she supposed she hadn't really believed it until now.

 

Letting go, Astoria looked down at the two children sticking close to her side. "Hello. What are your names?" she asked softly.

"I'm Albus." her son said, introducing himself before glancing at his sister. Lily just stared at the floor. She hadn't spoken much since this all started. "And this is Lily..." he added after a small awkward pause.

Astoria bent down, folding her arms over her knees. "Hi Lily. Do you like animals?" she asked, smiling. Lily nodded shyly. "Well, you know.. if you find my son Scorpius, I'm sure he'd be happy to show you some of his pets. He's upstairs..." she added, looking at Ginny meaningfully. She didn't want to let the children out of her sight, but she knew what Astoria was getting at. They would have to start making plans soon, and those weren't conversations she would want either of them to overhear. Her hands tightened on Albus's shoulder and Lily's hand for a moment, but she took a deep breath and let them go.

"Alright, go on then." she said, forcing a smile as she hugged Lily tightly. She kissed Albus on the top of his head. "Take care of your sister." she whispered and he nodded.

 

Once the two of them had disappeared from view, Ginny took a moment to look around the room. A few wounded wizards slept on cots laid out around hall while healers attended to them, and to the left, two witches sat beside a pile of small household items. _Portkeys_ , she realized.

"So you can get inside without apparating." Astoria said, reading her mind. Or, more likely, reading the direction of her gaze. "We want to make sure injured and underage wizards will be able to get here safely." she went on to explain.

"How are you keeping muggles out?" Ginny asked.

Astoria smiled delicately and took her hand. "Come see."

 

Stepping out through the extravagant double doors, they emerged onto an expansive manicured lawn, which was dotted with topiary and wandering peacocks. _What a way to live._ she thought, not sure if she should be disgusted or impressed. 

"There were five of us here when the muggles first came." Astoria explained as she led Ginny out across the lawn. "Blaise and his wife had come over for dinner, along with Pansy Parkinson. We were fortunate..." She fell silent for a moment, her voice and her eyes darkening as her words trailed off. Ginny turned, wondering what she was thinking about. 

Realizing that Ginny was looking at her, Astoria shook her head and smiled bravely. "My sister, she... I just wish she had been here with us." she explained. "But, well, the five of us were able to hold off the first wave. After that, we did our best to get the word out. Our home was safe and open to anyone who needed refuge. Of course, Blaise didn't like that too much.. He and his wife left that first night, along with their two little boys. I do hope they're alright."

_They're probably dead._ Ginny thought. She knew Blaise pretty well, and he would have come crawling back here for safety by now if he was still alive, mudbloods or not.

"But nevermind what he thinks." Astoria went on. "The more people that came here, the stronger we could build the defenses. And as other households fell, we continued to rise." She turned to look at Ginny, her expression distant and difficult to read. "You know.. I think it was right that it should be this place. I know you're probably thinking the opposite, but I think it was fate. After everything, it gives us a chance to do something _good_."

Ginny was surprised. The ex-Slytherin's eyes were lit up with a fire that she hadn't seen since the end of the last Wizarding War, and her voice held a strength that she hadn't heard in the three days since the bombs first went off in London. That she herself was only faking. _I guess that's what happens when you still have you husband and all of your children._

 

Taking Ginny's silence as a kind of approval, Astroria smiled softly. "Well, that's just what I think. Anyway.. Here we are." she said, looking over to her left. Draco was standing alone on the lawn, his wand loose at his side. Across from him, an army of soldiers, helicopters, and armored jeeps stood at the other side of an invisible barrier. 

Walking over to him, Astoria wrapped her slender arms around his shoulders from behind and planted a kiss on his cheek. "How's the shield, darling?"

"It's holding for now. As long as they're just using bullets we should be fine, but if they step up the fire power..." He glanced over his shoulder to where Ginny had stopped just behind them. "I'm sorry to hear about Potter.. About your husband, I mean." he muttered.

 

Ginny shifted her eyes to the barrier in front of them. She didn't want to talk about it. She didn't even want to think about it. She took a step forward until she was only feet from the edge. She could almost see the sun glinting off the soldier's goggles as they moved in formations a safe distance away. The shield was nearly opaque in some places, as jeep-mounted machine guns sent a nearly endless stream of bullets towards it, lighting it up wherever they touched. 

 A long country lane led up to the estate, and just over the last tree line Ginny could see dark shapes moving in the distance. 

She frowned and pointed as the shapes started to take form. "What's that?" she asked, looking back towards Draco and Astoria.

"That-" His eyes followed her finger to the line of Challenger 2 main battle tanks that were making their way down the hill. "That might be a problem..."

 

They watched in silence for a few more seconds as the tanks lined up along the hill and slowly started to train their turrets on the shield.

"Let's get inside."


	4. Chapter 4

The Malfoy's dining room had been taken over as a headquarters of sorts. Maps and papers were spread out across the table, and a low murmur of conversation filled the room.

Dean and Seamus sat next to each other on one side of the table. Across from them, a very uncomfortable and put-out looking Pansy Parkinson sat with her arms and legs folded and her body either consciously or subconsciously turned away from them.

A small silence fell as they stepped into the room and everyone glanced briefly towards the door to see who had come in.

By now the thundering echo of heavy artillery sounded throughout the house, causing the magnificent chandeliers that decorated the room to quiver threateningly. Taking advantage of the lull in conversation, Malfoy stepped towards the front of the table.

 

"The shield is going to come down soon, so we need to make a decision. We can start evacuating people by apparition now, or-"

"And who put you in charge, Malfoy?" Seamus interrupted from across the room. Malfoy scowled.

"No one. I'm just stating what our options are."

"Because your plans have worked out so well in the past." Dean said, sarcastically.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Pansy asked.

"It means..." Seamus started, leaning towards her aggressively, but Dennis cut in;

"Do you really want to argue about this now? Pureblood, halfblood, what does it matter? We're all the same in the eyes of the muggles. We need to figure out where to go next."

"Who says we have to go anywhere?" Dean asked, looking around the table. "The muggles took our homes, our friends, our families... They took our children. I say it's time we make a stand."

"That's not a plan, it's a death wish." Malfoy whispered.

"So, what, are you saying we should just surrender then?"

"No, I'm saying--"

 

Before he could finish, the sound of shattering glass grabbed everyone's attention. A dark wood cabinet rattled against the wall. Ginny and Dennis rose, drawing their wands, but Malfoy was closest. He held up a hand to warn them back, approaching the antique cautiously.

As the room fell silent, they could hear whispers coming from inside; "Stella, shhh! Stop moving around so much. You're going to get us caught!"

Rolling his eyes, Draco wrenched open the cabinet door and a small, blonde boy tumbled out, followed by his large grey cat.

"Scorpius, I told you to wait upstairs!" Draco shouted. The child wilted under his father's glare.

"I- I know. But I just wanted to hear..."

"Up. Stairs. Now!" he hissed, pointing a menacing finger towards the door.

"Alright, I'm going." The boy grumbled. "Come on Stella."

Astoria quietly followed him to the door, leaning her head outside to make sure he had gone where he was supposed to, then pulled on the ornate metal handles until the doors latched shut.

 

Malfoy sighed heavily. The momentum of the argument had stalled, and neither side seemed to have the energy to pick it back up again. Instead, Ginny took the opportunity to cut in.

"How long until the shield comes down?" she asked quietly.

"I don't know.. An hour? Maybe less."

She leaned forward and nodded, her eyes shifting around the room.

"Well, we can't kill all the muggles. Morality aside, it's just not possible. I agree we should make a stand. But is stopping these soldiers really going to change anything?"

"Exactly. What we need it more information. If we can find out who's at the head of this and take them out, then maybe we can put a stop to it."

Dean rose, his hands hitting the table loudly. "Haven't either of you been watching the news? This isn't just in England! It's everywhere. It's us or them." he hissed, leaning back from the table as he looked around the room. "No more running."

 

Another blast shook the windows of the building. Seamus rose, squaring his shoulders as he stood beside his friend. "No more time to talk. I say we stay. Who else?"

"I'm in." Dean said, nodding solemnly.

"If not now, then when?" Dennis added, thoughfully.

"Well, I think we should leave." Draco said, trying to recapture the room, but many people were already nodding and murmuring in agreement at Dean's suggestion. He looked at his wife and Ginny desperately. "What we need is a strategy, not another pointless brawl!"

"I'm with Draco. Why risk our lives if we don't have to?" said Pansy, unsurprisingly to everyone.

Draco quirked a small, grateful smile in her direction, but with an expression that said she probably wasn't helping his case. No one had forgotten the last time Pansy suggested something in a situation like this.

"I agree with my husband." Astoria added, her voice softer but somehow more powerful. "There's no reason to invite unnecessary bloodshed. On either side."

Her comments sent a small rustle of whispers through the gathered wizards, but not enough to sway the argument entirely to her side.

 

As the discussion reached a gridlock, silence fell over the room. 18 years after Hogwarts and yet here they were again; divided along house lines. Draco looked across the table at Ginny. She was now the only one remaining who had advocated for leaving. It was a strange twist of fate that brought her onto Draco's side against people like Seamus and Dean Thomas. It made her wonder if maybe she wasn't wrong about this.

Her gut was telling her to go. That this would be a fruitless battle, fought over feelings and not for any real gain. But the thought of siding with Malfoy over people who had been her friends for years just didn't sit right with her. Or maybe she was just as guilty of that kind of bias as anyone else.

All eyes turned to her. She knew her decision would end the argument.

"I'll stay and fight." she said, her voice barely a whisper.

"Then it's decided."

 

"Fine." Draco sighed, rising from the table with a look that showed he was clearly dissatisfied with the outcome. He started to move towards the door.

"Are you going to run and hide like you did at Hogwarts?" Seamus asked, catching him at the door.

"I'm going to get my wife and son to safety first, if that's alright with you?" he spat back.

"Me too." Ginny said, rising from her chair. She moved towards the three of them and Seamus grudgingly stepped back. She looked at Malfoy and gave him a small nod. She couldn't be certain, but she thought maybe his lips twitched towards something like gratitude.

He turned towards his wife, putting a hand on her arm. "You should leave now, Astoria. I'll find Scorpius."

"I'm not going anywhere without my son." she said simply. Her tone left no room for debate. He nodded.

Before any of them could leave the room, another huge explosion shook the house, this one shattering the windows and knocking several of them off their feet.

 

"What was that?!" Dean shouted

"The shield!"

"What happened to an hour?"

Malfoy threw an annoyed look in his direction. "I guess they didn't want to wait that long."

"The children are upstairs!" Astoria gasped. Her face was horror-striken. They couldn't apparate!

Ginny looked at Dean and the others desperately. She was probably wearing the same expression.

"We'll hold 'em off. You go get the sprogs." Dean said, pushing her towards the stairs as explosions ripped through the hall. 

"We should still have a few minutes before they get to the door." Draco informed her as they raced up the grand staircase. Astoria was right behind them, a little out of breath, and Ginny recalled hearing about an illness that had plagued her family, though it didn't look like she palled to let that stop her. "I put enough traps in the garden to take out half an army."

Unfortunately, an army was what they were facing.

"What happened to no unnecessary casualties?"

"If someone comes to my house, looking for a fight, then that's what they deserve." he said, and there was some of the old Draco's smirk in his voice, only Ginny found that when it was directed at a common enemy, it wasn't nearly so annoying.

They got to the top of the stairs and had a few seconds to talk while they caught their breath.

"We should split up to look for them. We can cover more ground." Draco said. He glanced down at his wife, who was just a short distance behind them. "Astoria will wait at the top of the stairs. If you find Scorpius, send him to her." Ginny nodded, turning to go, but Malfoy grabbed arm before she could leave. "Look. I know you don't like me, and that's fair. But Scorpius is different. He hasn't done a cruel thing in his life."

Ginny was shocked at what he was implying. "I'm not going to punish your son for something that happened years ago!"

"If I find Rose or Hugo I'll do that same. Astoria will keep them safe." he promised. "We won't here leave without you."

 

The landing at the top of the staircase split off in two directions. Ginny went left and Malfoy went right. As promised, Astoria stopped at the top of the stairs and drew her wand.

Minutes seemed to crawl by like hours as she cleared the first suite of bedrooms. Downstairs she could hear explosions and the sound of a door being breached. Charms and hexes were flying, along with the rattle of gunfire. She couldn't think about that right now..

She moved on from the 'spare bedroom' that was about the size of the entire second floor of her (former) house, and into a large study. A large, carved desk sat against one wall while the tall bay windows gave a view into the garden, now blown apart by bombs and mortar.

Hearing a noise, she spun around, only to drop her knees a moment later in relief. "Oh thank god!" she gasped, holding her arms out as Albus and Lily ran towards her.

"Mum! What happened?"

"We heard an explosion. What's going on?"

She wrapped her arms around her children tightly. "Everything's fine." she promised. Even if that was a lie.

She only had a second to hold them before necessity overtook relief. The temptation to take her son and daughter and leave was overwhelming. But still, another woman's child was missing. She knew she at least had to ask.

"Listen to me, this is important. Have you seen another little boy up here? He's blonde. He'd be about your age.." she said to her son.

Lily was silent. Albus shook his head slowly. "No, I haven't seen him."

Ginny sighed and nodded, embarrassed by how relieved she was to hear that. She leaned back on her heels, a hand on each of their shoulders. It was fine. Everything would be fine. She could take Albus and Lily somewhere far away, then come back and continue looking for Scorpius. She nodded decisively.

We won't leave without you.

The words came back to her with a pang of guilt. But who knew if they were even true? He could be long gone by now.

"Alright, we're going somewhere-"

"You mean the boy with the cat?" Lily suddenly spoke up. She lifted a finger, pointing to the long wooden doors leading to the next room. "He went in there."

"What? I didn't see him!"

"It was when we were playing before."

"Why didn't you tell me?"

"I was going to, but.."

 

Their voices faded to the background. Ginny slowly stood up, her hands tightening on her children's' shoulders. She could hear something moving in the next room. It would just take a second... Just a second for her to apparate away with Lily and Albus and come back. But a second might just be too late.

She pointed instead to the door that she'd come through. "Alright, you two to go through there and out to the hallway. Go straight there and don't stop. There should be a lady there to help you, but if there isn't, run and hide somewhere nearby. Okay? I'll be right behind you," she promised, pushing them towards the door.

As soon as she heard it latch behind her, she went to the tall wooden doors on the opposite wall. Drawing her wand, she took a deep breath and pulled the handle.

The room was a dark, lofty library, lit only by enchanted candles that hung on the wall. She saw shadow move across the bookshelves.

There was someone in there alright. But it wasn't a little boy...


End file.
